Maryland volleyball snaps five-game winning streak with 3-1 loss to Wake Forest

Wake Forest’s senior outside hitter Paige Crawford continued to find ways to penetrate an otherwise sturdy Maryland defense.

Despite taking a vicious Ajack Malual kill to the chin, Crawford shook it off and remained on top of the Demon Deacons’ offensive production.

Maryland (5-3) snapped its five-game winning streak on Sunday, falling short 3-1 against Wake Forest (4-4) in Winston-Salem, N.C., despite outblocking the Demon Deacons 22-10 and a career-best 21-kill performance from senior opposite hitter Malual. 

One player seemed to continuously find ways around the Terps’ wall, though.

Crawford entered the matchup with a team-leading 71 kills, including an impressive 22-kill performance against Alabama. On Sunday, Crawford continued her offensive prowess, recording 16 kills and bringing her season total to 87. Crawford dominated the pivotal third set, notching six kills and allowing the Demon Deacons to take a 2-1 match lead.

A 3-0 start to the first set for the Terps was quickly erased by a Demon Deacons rally, leading to the two teams trading blows throughout the set. Malual had seven of the Terps’ 15 first-set kills, committing no attack errors and helping the Terps win a tight first set, 25-21.

The Terps have only lost the first set twice this season, and have used it to set the pace for the remainder of the match. On Sunday, the trend did not continue in the Terps’ favor.

The second set saw the Terps defense increase its presence at the net, with four players accruing at least two blocks through the first two sets. Sophomore middle blocker Duru Gökçen, who earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for her performance in the UMBC Tournament, notched three blocks in the set.

It was the Demon Deacons, though, who continued to claw back throughout the set, eventually tying the match at one set apiece with a 25-23 set victory.

A 4-0 Demon Deacons scoring run swung the momentum in their favor to start the third set, a shift they capitalized on through the remaining points. Crawford collected her 14th kill of the match en route to a 25-22 win.

Malual was crucial in the fourth set for the Terps, recording her career-high 21st kill of the match. Despite her strong showing, the Demon Deacons continued to find ways to punish the Terps’ blunders, winning the set 25-22, and taking the match, 3-1.

The loss snaps a five-game win streak for the Terps, their first loss since a 3-1 defeat at the hands of North Carolina on Aug. 30. 

The Terps head to Baltimore to face Coppin State on Tuesday at 11 a.m. The Eagles were swept in straight sets by Princeton on Saturday, starting the season 5-6.